Peace Boat - whywendywrites

Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental and non-profit organisation that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development, and respect for the environment.

Peace Boat carries out its main activities through a chartered passenger ship that travels the world on peace voyages. The ship creates a neutral, mobile space and enables people to engage across borders in dialogue and mutual cooperation at sea, and in the ports that we visit. Activities based in Japan and Northeast Asia are carried out from our eight Peace Centers in Japan.

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How did Peace Boat start?

Peace Boat’s first voyage was organized in 1983 by a group of Japanese university students as a creative response to government censorship regarding Japan’s past military aggression in the Asia-Pacific. They chartered a ship to visit neighboring countries with the aim of learning first-hand about the war from those who experienced it and initiating people-to-people exchange. From 1983-1990, they did voyages throughout Asia, making their first voyage to Korea in 1989. From 1990 onwards, they started their first international voyage and circumvented the world. Find out more about Peace Boat’s history!

What does Peace Boat do?

Peace Boat seeks to create awareness and action based on affecting positive social and political change in the world. Peace Boat pursues this through the organisation of global educational programmes, responsible travel, cooperative projects, and advocacy activities. These activities are carried out on a partnership basis with other civil society organisations and communities around the world, particularly in Japan and North-East Asia.

Peace Boat Voyages

Peace Boat carries out its main activities through a chartered passenger ship that travels the world on peace voyages. Three Global Voyages and one short Asian regional voyage are usually organised each year. The three-month Global Voyages are each joined by around 800 participants and visit between 15-20 countries.The Global Voyages usually travel different routes.

For example, in 2016, the 91th Global Voyage takes the northern hemisphere route, 92nd Global Voyage takes the northern and southern hemisphere route and 93rd Global Voyage takes mainly the southern hemisphere route.

Most people think that Peace Boat simply organises local and global educational voyage. While Peace Boat voyages form the largest part of the activities, Peace Boat organises many other events.

Other Peace Boat activities

Peace Boat Disaster Relief
Peace Boat began its disaster relief work following the Kobe earthquake of 1995, and since then has provided disaster relief support in Japan and around the world. After the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011, Peace Boat established PBV to focus on emergency relief and disaster risk reductions.

Global Article 9 Campaign
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution renounces war as a means of settling international disputes and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces and other war potential. In light of the Japanese government’s pressure to amend Article 9, Peace Boat launched the Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War in 2005.

Hibakusha Project
Since 2008, Peace Boat has invited Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to participate in the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project.” As of 2015, over 150 Hibakusha have travelled around the world giving personal testimonies about the effects of the atomic bombs and calling for nuclear abolition.

These are just some of the meaningful Peace Boat activities. Find out more about the rest of Peace Boat projects.

Who can join Peace Boat?

Peace Boat is open to everyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ideology or creed. The largest age group onboard is composed of retired people, but there are also many young people. The majority of people who participate in Peace Boat voyages are Japanese. They come from various walks of life and represent all ages. Between 800-1000 people join each voyage.

For most people, it is a once in a lifetime once to travel around the world. Everyone has a different reason why they join Peace Boat. Some have worked so hard all their life so they want to see the world when they retire. Some want to take time off and think about their life and career. Some want to take a GAP year. Some want to leave a new language (through the GET Programme). Everyone on Peace Boat has an interesting story and that is what makes the Peace Boat experience so interesting.

How to join Peace Boat?

You can join as an international passenger if you have saved enough money! Even though life onboard is mainly conducted in Japanese as the majority of participants onboard are from Japan, you can learn much about the Japanese language and culture onboard. There are many nationalities onboard and so there is always a lively international presence and many people communicate in English and sometimes Spanish.

Interpreters (Communication Coordinators)

If you have the skills, you can sail around the world for free as a Peace Boat volunteer. Volunteer interpreters will facilitate exchanges between international guests onboard, local people in ports and Japanese speaking participants. I think the Communication Coordinators (CCs) work very hard as they have to provide translations for many onboard and port activities. I am so impressed by how talented they are and the incredible opportunities they have when they participate in many meaningful events and interact with many guest educators. The CCs on the 88th Voyage were amazing! They became great friends who helped me all the time.

English or Spanish teachers

The volunteer teachers work for Peace Boat’s onboard language programme is known as GET (Global English / Espanol Training) Programme. GET is a communication-based programme that aims to improve students’ communicative ability and instill confidence in using English and/or Spanish through a dynamic combination of onboard classroom study, language based events and activities, and exchange programmes in ports of call.

A significant proportion of participants on board Peace Boat join GET. There is a representative cross-section of ages, coming from all walks of life. Some have studied English and/or Spanish extensively, while others are tackling the language for the first time.

The volunteer teachers must fulfill a list of requirements:

Have at least 18-months of relevant full-time English/Spanish language teaching experience.
Be a highly advanced speaker of English – it is not necessary to be a ‘native’ or ‘first-language’ speaker.
Have experience or a definite interest in the areas of peace and global education in language teaching
Proven ability to independently design curricula and create original lesson plans.
Experience working both independently and as part of a team.
Ability to be flexible, a good communicator, and have volunteer spirit.
Be in sound physical and mental health – capable of working long days and for long periods at sea.
Have access to consistent and reliable internet access for the months leading up to the voyage so as to participate in pre-voyage study.

Applicants with the following will be looked upon favorably:

Teaching qualification(s): CELTA, TEFL, TESOL, or similar.
Experience with public speaking or addressing large audiences and being on stage.
A specific interest in improving their language and peace education skills.
Japanese language ability.
Experience teaching in Japan and/or understanding of Japanese culture.
Experience living and working in foreign countries or with foreign cultures.

For more information, visit Peace Boat’s GET website and download the updated application pack!

Wendy’s Peace Boat Voyage

Visited over 32 countries across 5 continentsTravelled on Peace Boat around the world for 3 months

I had the privilege to circumvent the world from 21 August to 6 December 2015. We visited 27 ports, 21 countries in the span of 107 days. I know it may sound over dramatic, but the around the world voyage was indeed life-changing. While it impossible to share this experience adequately through words, I am attempting to ‘eternalise’ my memories through short prose and photographs. Hope my words and imagery may inspire you to sail away from of these days!

Top 5 Things I Learnt from a Peace Boat Voyage